More than three-fourths of the honey sold in U.S. grocery
stores isn’t exactly what the bees produce, according to testing done
exclusively for Food Safety News.The results show that the pollen frequently has been filtered out of products labeled “honey.”The removal of these microscopic particles from deep within a flower
would make the nectar flunk the quality standards set by most of the
world’s food safety agencies.In the U.S., the Food and Drug Administration says that any product
that’s been ultra-filtered and no longer contains pollen isn’t honey.
However, the FDA isn’t checking honey sold here to see if it contains
pollen.

Filtering out the pollen is more costly and reduces the health value
and shelf-life of the final product. So why do it? To mask the orgins of
where the 'honey' came from:

Ultra filtering is a high-tech procedure where honey is
heated, sometimes watered down and then forced at high pressure through
extremely small filters to remove pollen, which is the only foolproof
sign identifying the source of the honey. It is a spin-off of a
technique refined by the Chinese, who have illegally dumped tons of
their honey – some containing illegal antibiotics – on the U.S. market
for years.The food safety divisions of the World Health Organization, the
European Commission and dozens of others also have ruled that without
pollen there is no way to determine whether the honey came from
legitimate and safe sources.Food Safety News decided to test honey sold in various outlets after its earlier investigation
found U.S. groceries flooded with Indian honey banned in Europe as
unsafe because of contamination with antibiotics, heavy metal and a
total lack of pollen which prevented tracking its origin.Removal of all pollen from honey “makes no sense” and is completely
contrary to marketing the highest quality product possible, Mark Jensen,
president of the American Honey Producers Association, told Food Safety
News.“I don’t know of any U.S. producer that would want to do that.
Elimination of all pollen can only be achieved by ultra-filtering and
this filtration process does nothing but cost money and diminish the
quality of the honey,” Jensen said.“There is only one reason to ultra-filter honey and there’s nothing good about it,” he says.

In addition to using harmful pesiticides and antibiotics, this
"laundered" honey is often diluted with corn syrup and other illegal
sweeteners.Food Safety News funded testing of 'honey' from the major sellers. Here are the top-line results:

Food Safety News purchased more than 60 jars, jugs and plastic bears of honey in 10 states and the District of Columbia.The contents were analyzed for pollen by Vaughn Bryant,
a professor at Texas A&M University and one of the nation’s premier
melissopalynologists, or investigators of pollen in honey.Bryant, who is director of the Palynology Research Laboratory, found
that among the containers of honey provided by Food Safety News:

76 percent of samples bought at groceries had all the pollen
removed, These were stores like TOP Food, Safeway, Giant Eagle, QFC,
Kroger, Metro Market, Harris Teeter, A&P, Stop & Shop and King
Soopers.

100 percent of the honey sampled from drugstores like Walgreens, Rite-Aid and CVS Pharmacy had no pollen.

77 percent of the honey sampled from big box stores like Costco,
Sam’s Club, Walmart, Target and H-E-B had the pollen filtered out.

100 percent of the honey packaged in the small individual service
portions from Smucker, McDonald’s and KFC had the pollen removed.

Bryant found that every one of the samples Food Safety News bought
at farmers markets, co-ops and “natural” stores like PCC and Trader
Joe’s had the full, anticipated, amount of pollen.

The Food Standars Agency (FSA) in the UK issued a national warming
about illegal and misleading claims indicated on the labels of manuka
honey jars. Ms Kaye said it's important for New Zealand to maintain its
integrity on food labels, and this is the reason that there should be
proper standards in labeling.The chairman and chief executive of Littleover Group in Derby, Tony
Spacey, said that most of the "shonky" manuka honey in the UK came from
New Zealand. The manuka honey is bottled in New Zealand and exported by
New Zealanders. Mr Spacey said he strongly suggests that New Zealand
should "stop exporting crap".

Ms Kaye said New Zealand's honey industry representatives and government officials will meet again as they seek to correct the misleading claims on manuka honey jars. She said the challenging part was getting around the technicalities.In order to provide the correct label, the industry needs to know
what the label needs to say exactly. Ms Kaye said there weren't any
available scientific markers as of this moment. The centre of the whole
issue was really what the labels on the honey jars claim.New Zealand should work to address the labeling issue since there is a
big opportunity in Britain for makers of honey. Ms Kaye said there is
great demand for manuka honey and if the label is corrected, the honey
industry in New Zealand can take advantage of the growth opportunity.John Rawcliffe of th UMF Honey Association said that domestic and
international customers who buy honey products with the UMFHA quality
mark are assured of product safety. Products with this quality seal
have been subjected to extensive tests before being exported to other
countries.Mr Rawcliffe said New Zealand's manuka honey was highly sought by
international customers that eventually there was a supply shortage.
These customers were willing to pay a premium price for honey. Mr
Rawcliffe also said the association has already formed partnerships with
international agencies to create better testing methods to protect New
Zealand's honey exports.

Source:http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-101494/All-Chinese-honey-ordered-shelves.htmlby SEAN POULTER, Daily MailFood watchdogs have ordered all Chinese-produced honey to be
withdrawn from sale after trials found that much of it is
contaminated by antibiotics.Forty per cent of the honey sold in the UK comes from China.Tests of 16 pots found that ten contained the powerful
antibiotic chloramphenicol.The chemical is a trigger for aplastic anaemia, a rare but
serious blood disorder which affects up to 100 people in Britain
each year. It has also been linked to leukaemia.The news comes just two weeks after the Food Standards Agency
told leading supermarkets to withdraw specific batches of own-brand
honey produced in China which were found to be contaminated with
another antibiotic, streptomycin.The sudden withdrawal of all Chinese honey threatens to cause a
UK shortage.Two Tesco Finest Acacia Honey jars tested positive for
chloramphenicol. One also contained traces of streptomycin.A pot of Tesco Pure Set Honey also tested positive for both.Two jars of Sainsbury's ownbrand honey and a Gales product
tested positive for both.Honey from Rowse, Bee's Queen and Asda also tested positive for
at least one of the chemicals.It is understood that the antibiotics are used in sprays by
Chinese beekeepers to keep down bacterial infection of
beehives.The country's shambolic food safeguards system means there is no
proper testing to ensure illegal residues do not get into food.The FSA's original approach was to remove only batches of
Chinese honey which tested positive for illegal contaminants.However, it adopted a blanket ban because the problem appears to
be so widespread.Concern about potentially harmful residues in Chinese food
imports led the EU and Britain to ban all new shipments. But at
that stage they did not order recalls of products on shelves.Apart from 11 tonnes of honey, China exports 17,000 tonnes of
fish and shellfish and 48 tonnes of rabbit meat to Britain each
year.The FSA has convened a meeting of independent scientific experts
to assess the risk.It said consumers could use Chinese honey already in their
cupboards because the risk was considered 'extremely small'.

The following is a short summary of what i learn at Live with Dr Chen on 7 Sep 2013 (mandarin).

1. Do not resort to medication unless emergency or really serious.
2. For normal flu , cough - just let the immune system works they will train up the immune system to be healthier.
Imagine our immune system as an army. If
it doesn't get to do training - we sanitize everything and resort to
medication easily , in fact our immune system will be weak as no chance
to train up. This will make our ourselves prone to diseases in the future. Also,
since our immune system doesn't get to train up , and being a 'soldier'
in nature, our immune system will tend to attack non- threatening
substances like pollen , certain food substance etc - leading allergy
and histamine. So the idea is to nourish our immune system well with the right food as its much much more powerful than any medication. At the same time, give our immune system a chance to train up.

The intestines in our bodies got a lot of good bacteria and bad
bacteria, and the strains of bacteria in one person may be different in
another person in terms of the types, the quantity, the balance. In
taking probiotics, we may upset the types, quantity and balance of the
strains of bacteria. And, we do not know how this will affect adversely
the body. And so it be better for the body to produce their own bacteria
than consume from outside source (which may only be 2-3 strains of the
numerous strains in the intestine).
We do not only get the
cholesterol from the food we eat, the main part of our cholesterol is
produced by our liver. Cholesterol is important for our body, it helps
to make some hormones, build cell walls, etc. Cholesterol (LDL) produce
by our liver is transported from liver to various parts/organs of our
body. However, if there's too much LDL, more than what required by the
body parts/organs, the LDL be deposited in our blood stream, and as this
LDL accumulate it may clog the blood vessels. HDL cholesterol remove
LDL from blood vessels and carry back to the liver. This is only one of the 500 functions of liver. Liver is one of the most neglected organs, but we really got to nourish it.

The toxic truth about vitamin supplements: How health pills millions take with barely a second thought can do more harm than good

Four years ago, I began taking the much promoted glucosamine supplement after hurting my knee in a skiing accident.

Glucosamine is made from shellfish and is widely believed to promote joint health - the theory is that it speeds up the production of the protein needed to grow and maintain healthy cartilage.

Although there's no clinical evidence of its effectiveness, my GP said it might help rebuild the damaged cartilage and improve my joint strength. I didn't hesitate, and immediately started taking the recommended dose, 1,500 mg a day.

Toxic tablet: Headaches, diarrhoea and a flagging libido can be side effects of taking some vitamin supplements

Not long after, I found I needed to go to the lavatory far too often - sometimes more than five times a day. I had abdominal discomfort, bloating, gas and my stools were dark and tarry. I self- diagnosed IBS.

My GP prescribed drugs to relax the bowel muscles, but they didn't help. Then, early last year, I ran out of glucosamine and didn't restock. My knee was better and I was taking fish oils, which were being promoted as the new miracle supplement for joints.

Within a few days, my bowels returned to normal and remained so until, after another ski accident damaging the same knee in March this year, I began taking glucosamine again.

Within a week my 'IBS' had returned and I made the link. I researched glucosamine and found that side-effects include diarrhoea and loose stools. I stopped again and, hey presto, everything's back to normal.

Sales of health supplements have soared in recent years, with 40 per cent of Britons taking them. It's such a huge market that manufacturers spend around £40 million a year just telling us about their products.

As supplements are either made from natural substances or mimic substances produced by our bodies, many people, like me, assume they cannot do any harm.

But we're wrong, say health professionals. They point out that the health supplement industry is unregulated, which means manufacturers are not required to list potential side-effects - nor do their products have to go through costly clinical trials.

There are a handful of exceptions, such as folic acid, which is recommended for women trying to conceive. If you take a tablet of 400 micrograms (mcg) strength to help with conception, it is classed as a food.

But increase the dose to 5 mg (to treat anaemia and other conditions) and it becomes a medicine, requiring a licence. Otherwise, there are no checks and balances to protect consumers. And this worries experts.

'People take supplements randomly, but they can be toxic if taken with some medicines or in high quantities.'

Needless habit: Experts say it's better to have a healthy diet than take supplements

Indeed, glucosamine has been linked to the death of one man. In 2004, Norman Ferrie, a 64-year-old engineer from Dundee, died of liver failure within weeks of taking the supplement.

'The liver had been normal and something had attacked it,' gastroenterologist Dr John Dillon, of Ninewells Hospital, Dundee, told the inquest in 2008. He said there had been two other cases involving extreme reactions to the widely used supplement.

'Increasingly, people are being taken in by the prospect of a magic pill that will make them healthy,' says Dr Dillon. 'Most people don't know that glucosamine and other supplements are only licensed as a food, but are sold as a medicine.

'It would seem fair to ask manufacturers of supplements to list serious risks.

'Everything we need can be got from a healthy diet. The vast majority of health supplements are a waste of money. People feel fluey and start taking supplements they don't need. They could end up with hypervitaminosis, caused by excessive amounts of supplements.'

This can lead to vomiting, lethargy and even renal failure. 'The only time a person should take a supplement is if a doctor recommends it,' adds Dr Dillon.

But even taking supplements on doctors' recommendations is not risk free. Last month, it was reported that taking calcium supplements - often prescribed for osteoporosis - could raise the risk of heart attacks by 30 per cent.

And it's not just the main ingredient than causes problems. Another risk is having an allergy to one of the constituents of a tablet, such as a binding agent or the gel coating, says nutritionist Dr Carrie Buxton, from the Health Supplement Information Service.

Despite the concerns, the Food Standards Agency says legislation on supplements is adequate. So, what can you do to ensure your safety?

Dietitian Anna Raymond advises anyone who starts taking supplements should tell their GP. And here we identify some of the supplements with potentially negative effects you won't find listed on the packet.

GLUCOSAMINE

WHAT IT IS: The supplement, which is made from crab and lobster shells (so should be avoided if you have a seafood allergy), is often taken to ease the symptoms of arthritis.

POTENTIAL SIDE-EFFECTS: According to the Arthritis Research Campaign, these can include stomach upset, constipation, diarrhoea, headache and rash; glucosamine can also react with anti-diabetic treatments by increasing blood sugar levels.

The UK Commission on Human Medicines has noted that glucosamine has a negative interaction with the blood-thinning drug warfarin and warns against taking these substances simultaneously.

The supplement might also cause water retention, as it attracts water.

KELP

WHAT IT IS: This supplement is made from a seaweed which is the fastest-growing marine algae in the world - it can grow two feet in one day and is most abundant off the north California coast.

Kelp is a rich source of several minerals and trace elements, including iodine - deficiency of which can lead to an underactive thyroid. It is marketed as a treatment for thyroid imbalance, caused by the thyroid gland producing either too much or too little of the hormone.

POTENTIAL SIDE-EFFECTS: Despite the claims made for it, studies have linked kelp to an increased risk of thyroid dysfunction. It's also a blood thinner and shouldn't be taken with aspirin or any medicine to lower blood pressure.

There's also concern that some kelp is being harvested from kelp 'forests' in polluted oceans, which means it could be toxic. In 2007, research at the University of California found high levels of arsenic in eight out of nine kelp supplements. Arsenic is linked to hair loss, headaches, confusion and drowsiness.

POTASSIUM

WHAT IT IS: Maintaining an adequate potassium level is important for bone health and the proper functioning of the body. Potassium supplements are often taken to help combat insulin resistance, arthritis and menopausal symptoms such as fatigue and mood swings.

POTENTIAL SIDE-EFFECTS: Taken in very high doses as a supplement, potassium can have serious side-effects such as arrhythmia (faulty heartbeat) - and it can even be fatal.

Research at Oregon State University has also linked it to muscle weakness, confusion, stomach pain and numbness or tingling in the hands, feet or mouth.

Potassium supplements react badly with some medicines, and shouldn't be taken by anyone suffering from kidney or heart disease, severe dehydration or high blood pressure.

Older people who often have too much potassium in their bodies should avoid these supplements - kidneys are less efficient at eliminating potassium as we age.

MELATONIN

WHAT IT IS: Natural melatonin is a hormone made by the pineal gland in the brain and helps to regulate sleep.

Supplements can control our sleep/ wake cycles and are used to treat sleep disorders. British manufacturers make medical claims about its sleep benefits, so here it is licensed as a prescription- only medicine - however it is freely available in the

A daily dose of 1- 3 mg of melatonin increases the body's levels of melatonin by 20 times the normal amount. The British Pharmaceutical Society says that studies on its effectiveness to treat jet-lag have been conflicting.

CALCIUM

WHAT IT IS: Calcium is an essential mineral for the growth and maintenance of healthy bones and teeth and for blood clotting, muscle contraction, healthy nerves and good hormone function. It is usually taken by women to boost bone health.

POTENTIAL SIDE-EFFECTS: Research published last month by Auckland and Aberdeen universities reflected other studies in finding a 30 per cent increased risk of heart attack among women taking calcium supplements - most women taking them are postmenopausal and concerned about osteoporosis.

This increase is due to the risk of calcium supplements accelerating the hardening of blood vessels. Doctors involved with a 2008 New Zealand study advise women of 70 or older not to take calcium supplements

Monday, 2 September 2013

Japan's nuclear regulator has raised the threat level
of a radioactive leak at the crippled Fukushima Daiichi plant from 1 to 3
on a 7-point scale.

Officials said Tuesday that a storage tank has leaked 300 tons of radioactive water
into the ground. The rating upgrade, which has to be confirmed by the
United Nations' nuclear agency, would be the first since the March 2011
quake-induced reactor meltdown.
Here are five things to know about the leak and related radiation:1. What does the nuclear warning level mean?
The International Nuclear and Radiological Event Scale (INES) is a
rating system for describing the severity of nuclear accidents. It was
introduced in 1990 by the International Atomic Energy Agency, which
reports to the U.N.
The 7-point scale ranges from 1 ("Anomaly") to 7 ("Major Accident").
Japan's Nuclear Regulation Authority classified the Fukushima disaster
as a level-7 event in 2011. [In Pictures: Japan Earthquake & Tsunami]
The new leak is the first to be given an INES rating since the
original disaster. Initially classified as a level one ("Incident"), it
has upgraded it to level three ("Serious Incident"), pending
confirmation by the UN nuclear agency. A The upgrade to level 3
("Serious Incident") means the event involves the release of "a few
thousand terabecquerels of activity into an area not expected by design
which requires corrective action," or one resulting in radiation rates
of "greater than one sievert per hour in an operating area," according
to the INES user's manual. A terabecquerel is 1 trillion becquerels,
defined as the radioactive decay of one nucleus per second; a sievert is
a unit of biological radiation dose equivalent to about 50,000 front
view chest X-rays.2. How much radioactive material leaked into the ocean?
Immediately after the June 2011 meltdown, scientists measured that 5,000 to 15,000 terabecquerels of
radioactive material was reaching the ocean. The biggest threat at that
time was from the radionuclide cesium. But for leaks that enter the
ground, the radionuclides strontium and tritium pose more of a threat,
because cesium is absorbed by the soil while the other two are not.
The Tokyo Electric Power Plant (TEPCO) estimated that since the
March 2011 disaster, between 20 trillion and 40 trillion becquerels of
radioactive tritium have leaked into the ocean, the Japanese newspaper Asahi Shimbun reported.
The damaged plant is
still leaking about 300 tons of water containing these radionuclides
into the ocean every day, Japanese government officials say. An
additional 300 tons have leaked into the ground from the latest storage
tank leak.3. How will the radioactive material affect sea life?
Ever since the 2011 disaster, scientists have been measuring levels
of radioactivity in fish and other sea life. Several species of fish
caught off the coast of Fukushima in 2011 and 2012 had cesium levels
that exceeded Japan's regulatory limit for seafood, but the overall
cesium levels of ocean life have dropped since the fall of 2011, U.S.
and Japanese scientists both reported.
U.S. scientists say the groundwater leaks could become worse, but
warn against drawing conclusions about the impacts on sea life before
peer-reviewed studies are completed. "For fish that are harvested 100
miles [160 kilometers] out to sea, I doubt it’d be a problem," Nicholas
Fisher, a marine biologist at Stony Brook University in Stony Brook,
N.Y., told LiveScience for a previous article.
"But in the region, yes, it's possible there could be sufficient
contamination of local seafood, so it'd be unwise to eat that seafood,"
Fisher said.[7 Craziest Ways Japan's Earthquake Affected Earth]4. What is being done to contain the leak?
Plant operators have started to remove the contaminated soil around
the leaking tank, and are expected to remove any water remaining inside
by the end of today (Aug. 21), NBC News reported.
But operators are concerned that other tanks may fail too. About a
third of the tanks, including the one that just leaked, have rubber
seams that TEPCO says were only meant to last about five years, The New York Times
reported. A TEPCO spokesperson said the company plans to build
additional watertight tanks with welded seams, but will still have to
use the ones with rubber seams.
Cleaning up the radioactive water will take decades. Officials are
considering several possible methods for preventing contaminated
groundwater from reaching the ocean, including freezing the ground
around the plant or injecting the surrounding sediment with a gel-like
material that hardens like concrete. Ultimately, an integrated
systematic water treatment plan is needed, Dale Klein, former head of
the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission told LiveScience for a previous
article.5. How does Fukushima compare with the Chernobyl meltdown?
The Fukushima plant's meltdown in 2011 is considered the worst nuclear disaster since the Chernobyl meltdown
in Ukraine in 1986. Although both were given an INES rating of 7, far
more radiation was released at Chernobyl — about 10 times as much as at
Fukushima, NPR reported. And the health consequences a Fukushima to date have been much less severe.
The Chernobyl meltdown involved the explosion of an entire reactor
that sent out a plume of radiation over a wide area. Many people nearby
drank contaminated milk and later developed thyroid cancer.
By contrast, Fukushima's radioactive cores remained mostly
protected, and much of the radioactive material has been carried out to
sea, far from human populations. People in risky areas were evacuated,
and contaminated food was kept out of stores. While the long-term health
risks are unknown, the World Health Organization said there is very
little public health risk outside of the 18-mile evacuation zone.

I have decided to stop replenishing my children Formula Milk and cows produces like cheese and yoghurt. It is a major decision indeed and i am gradually weaning them off from the above. I used to compare the amount of nutrition facts on the tins on which has a high "nutrient values". I do not blame the manufacturers as it is all about supply and demand. Parents are looking for high "nutrient values" thus they added them for us and sell the FM at a high price of course.

So no dairy milk then what??? May i ask, what is the intention of giving animals milk? Or are we just following the trend? What we intend to get from the dairy milk is basically protein and calcium. Do you know animals' milk leaches out more calcium? Do you know dairy milk is singled out as the biggest dietary cause of osteoporosis? Please refer to: http://wholesomesuperfood.blogspot.sg/2013/08/do-you-know-drinking-animals-milk.html

I have been giving my children our NUTRIFRESH (wholesome Non GMO soy beverage with fibre and fruits and vegetables) with OXYGINBERRY beverage (6 type of plant food with high antioxidants and phytochemicals) and EVERSTAY-D (high fibre wholesome plant food) as morning milk and 3 OSEED (high calcium, protein, fibre etc). Please refer to the following for our breakfast ideas:http://www.wholesomesuperfood.com/search/label/healthy%20breakfast?m=0
(Contact us at +65 97919279 if you would like to try out the above)

Go for Non GMO Soy instead of GMO. There are controversies about soy which i believe is due to difference between Non GMO and GMO. The latter has had DNA introduced into it in a way other than the combination of male and female gametes. This process may be carried out using “recombinant DNA (rDNA) technology.” As a widely planted and versatile crop, soybeans have become a popular subject of genetic modification. For more details, please refer to:http://www.wholesomesuperfood.com/search/label/healthy%20breakfast?m=0

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Lifestyle Mentor - Anlinna

Contact: 9791 9279 Email: wholesomesuperfood@gmail.com

Being the founder of Wholesome Super Food, Anlinna advocates the science of Nutritional Immunology, which studies the relationship between the food we eat and our immune system to achieve good health to defend, cleanse and repair our body against diseases.

As the saying goes, health is wealth and prevention is definitely better than cure. A person with better health wouldbe able to achieve greater wealth in life.

Anlinna graduated from ACCA and she was an accountant by practice for 8 years. She became a stay home mum shortly after she delivered her daughter in 2009. She chanced upon Nutritional Immunology when she was looking for alternate solutions to her daughter’s frequent respiratory issues, which are very common in pre-schoolers.

As it has always been her passion to share good things with the people around her, Anlinna decided to start Wholesome Super Food to reach out to more like-minded parents like her. She started out by holding public and school workshops to advocate the benefits of Nutritional Immunology. One of the greatest rewards she gets in this career is receiving appreciation from people who have benefitted from the Science of Nutritional Immunology.

With better health, her children no longer need to consult the doctor and she is able to move on from being a stay at home mum to a stay at home working mum Healthy Fast Food business owner.

With better wealth, and a believer in "blessed are those who give", she have sponsored 2 children from Nepal through world Vision.

With better time management, she have improve the quality of her family lives.

Her dream is to create value in people's lives so that they can be successful and gain freedom of health, wealth and time.

If you would like to understand how the science of Nutritional Immunology can improve your health and how being a Lifestyle mentor is able to pay it forward and leave a legacy, you can contact Anlinna at +65 9791 9279.